Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 266
August 3, 2017
Call it a lie when it's a lie.
In a Wall Street Journal interview this week, Trump claimed that the head of the Boy Scouts called him to heap praise on the politically aggressive speech Trump delivered at the Scouts’ national jamboree last week.
“I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them,” Trump said.
At that point, all but the blindest of Trump supporters already knew he was lying.
The Boy Scouts confirmed these suspicions. “We are unaware of any such call,” the Boy Scouts responded in a statement. They went on to specify that neither Boy Scout President Randall Stephenson nor Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh placed such a call.
Faced with this unequivocal denial, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that no phone call had taken place but said “multiple members of the Boy Scout leadership” approached Trump in person after the speech and “offered quite powerful compliments.”
Sanders explained the discrepancy Wednesday by saying Trump misspoke when he described the conversations as calls.
“The conversations took place,” she said. “They just simply didn’t take place over a phone call.”
In other words, he lied the first time. And he probably lied about the "quite powerful compliments" about "the greatest speech ever," too, considering the Boy Scouts apologized for subjecting the boys to his bizarre tirade.
No, he definitely lied about that, too. He lies. He lies and lies and lies.
Even worse, his lies are so sad. He's lying about nonexistent compliments. He's lying in the hopes that people will like him more. He's lying because there is obviously something broken or missing inside of him that requires him to invent these self-serving statements.
He did the same thing later that day when he claimed to have received a call from Mexican President Peña Nieto.
"Even the president of Mexico called me. Their southern border, they said very few people are coming because they know they're not going to get to our border, which is the ultimate compliment."
Sanders was later forced to admit that the call didn't happen. Her explanation:
Trump was actually referring to an in-person chat with the Mexican president last month at the Group 20 Summit in Hamburg even though Trump implied that the phone just happened.
So he lied. Again. Attempting to praise himself in the process.
We should not be surprised.
As you probably remember, in the 1990's, Trump would frequently pose as fictional publicist "John Miller" or "John Barron" in order to say flattering things about himself.
More than 25 years later, Trump would name his son Barron. Apparently his fondness for the name did not wane.
Trump publicly acknowledged and apologized for these lies back then but denies it today.
Another lie.
Here's what I'd like:
I want the media to stop using phrases like "misleading statements" or "false statements" or "corrected statements. I just want them to say,
"Trump lied. The Boy Scouts never called."
"Trump lied. The Mexican government never called."
"Trump lied. He admitted to masquerading as a publicist in the 1990's and now denies it."
I want them to use the word "lie" when appropriate.
August 2, 2017
I wrote on an island. Under a tree. In the middle of a parking lot.
I arrived at the dentist office at 1:40 PM for a 2:00 PM appointment. With a book due in less than a week, I was anxious to return to the manuscript.
The dentist has a television in the waiting room, so rather than trying to write with a talking head yammering in the background, I took a seat beneath a small tree on an island in the center of the parking lot and worked for 15 minutes.
I finished a chapter and revised the end of another.
I mention this for two reasons:
1. I meet a lot of people who claim that they can only write under certain conditions:
Only in Starbucks Only in two hour incrementsOnly with a cappuccinoOnly in the morningOnly with ink and paperOnly while listening to jazzI have yet to meet a published writer who suffers from any of these limitations. I also like to remind these tragically limited writers that soldiers wrote poetry, letters, and novels in the trenches of World War I while wearing gas masks.
John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Field" after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres.
Thank goodness he didn't need a cappuccino to write one of the great poems of the twentieth century.
2. I mention this because the question I am asked most often is "How do you manage to get so much done?" While I have many, many answers to this question, yesterday's writing session on the island of a parking lot is a good example of one of those answers:
I don't waste a minute. Rather than being precious about my time, I believe my time to be precious. Instead of waiting for ideal conditions to complete tasks and accomplish goals, I take what I can get, when I can get it. Time is our greatest commodity, so I don't wait a minute of it.
August 1, 2017
Resolution Update: July 2017
1. Don’t die.
Foul ball nearly clocked me in the head at a minor league baseball game, but my cat-like reflexes save me.
2. Lose 20 pounds.
I remain stuck at six pounds lost. The summer is full of good food.
3. Do at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups five days a week.
Done.
4. Practice yoga at least three days a week for at least 15 minutes each day.
I participated in two yoga classes while working at Kripalu in May. I return to Kripalu next month for a full week. Perhaps I'll take a class every day and get started.
5. Take the stairs whenever I am ascending or descending five flights or less.
I took the elevator in a parking garage with Elysha. We were four flights up, and I thought about asking her to take the stairs with me, but it was hot and we were running late.
Otherwise, it's been the stairs every time.
WRITING CAREER6. Complete my sixth novel before the end of 2017.
Work continues in earnest. Due date in has been moved back to October.
7. Complete my first middle grade/YA novel.
Work continues in earnest. Due date is December.
8. Write at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
I started work on a non-fiction picture book about the great Idaho beaver airlift of 1948.
I also pitched a series of picture books to my agent. She liked. Eventually. They may be better as a series of graphic novels.
9. Complete a book on storytelling.
Work almost complete.
10. Write a new screenplay.
No progress.
11. Write a musical.
Done! I was not able to watch the debut performance of "Back in the Day," but I hear it went really well.
12. Submit at least five Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
I have submitted one piece to the Times so far in 2017.
No luck.
13. Write a proposal for a nonfiction book related to education.
Note-taking completed. My proposal will need to include some sample chapters, so that process has begun.
14. Submit one or more short stories to at least three publishing outlets.
No progress.
15. Select three behaviors that I am opposed to and adopt them for one week, then write about my experiences on the blog.
On the suggestion of a reader:
I spent April praying to God at least once a day. Quite often three or more times per day. As you may know, I'm a reluctant atheist, so I hadn't prayed in a very long time.
I'll be writing about the experience on my blog this month.
I'm currently looking for my next behavior. Ideas anyone?
16. Increase my author newsletter subscriber base to 1,600.
I grew my list by 28 subscribers in April (and 187 overall this year). Total subscribers now stands at 1,471.
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17. Write at least six letters to my father.
I wrote one letter to my father in July. Two in all so far.
18. Convert Greetings Little One into a book.
No progress.
19. Record one thing learned every day in 2017.
Done! My favorite thing learned in July is this:
Highway signs have sides equal to the hazard ahead. Railroads have circles (infinite number of sides) because getting hit by a train really sucks. Stop signs are octagons because running one also sucks.
STORYTELLING20. Produce a total of 12 Speak Up storytelling events.
No shows in July. Our total number of Speak Up shows in 2017 is nine.
21. Deliver a TED Talk.
Done! I spoke about the important things that teachers do at The Pomfret School in April. It went well! Hoping the producers recorded the talk well, and it will result in a quality video.
I've pitched talks to two other TED events.
22. Attend at least 15 Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
I attended three Moth events in July (two StorySLAMs in NYC and one in Boston), bringing my yearly total to 12.
23. Win at least three Moth StorySLAMs.
Done! I won a Moth StorySLAM in Boston in July. It was my third win of the year and 31st win overall. I placed second at a Moth StorySLAM in NYC and failed to get selected at the third slam.
24. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
It looks like my next opportunity to compete in a Moth GrandSLAM will be in September.
25. Produce at least 50 episodes of my new podcast Live Better.
I pulled down my first episode after receiving feedback from a friend who works in radio. I'm currently re-recording with a slightly different format.
I expect to relaunch this summer. I may have a producing partner.
26. Perform stand up at least once in 2016.
August 21. Sea Tea Comedy Theater. I'm kind of terrified.
27. Write a one-person show.
The "writing" for this show is nearly complete.
A local theater is interested in having me perform. I'll be meeting with the director in the summer.
NEW PROJECTS28. Explore the option of teaching a college class.
I met with a professor from a local college and described my proposed class. She approved of my idea and promised to pass the information onto her department head.
This isn't enough, of course. I need to speak to a department head or higher myself.
29. Cook at least 12 good meals (averaging one per month) in 2016.
A friend has passed on ideas and recipes for meals that I plan to make this month.
30. Plan a 25 year reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
The search for a location continues.
MISCELLANEOUS31. I will stand in vocal opposition to every negative comment made about age disparities between male and female romantic couplings because I choose to respect a woman’s choices of romantic partner regardless of their age or the age of their partner.
French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron's wife Bridgette Macron is 25 years older than him and recently in the news when Trump told her that she was in good shape. As a result, she was in the public eye for a bit, and in two cases, I had to interject when one woman and one man commented negatively on the age gap between the couple.
32. I will report on the content of speech during every locker room experience via social media in 2017.
Done.
Over the course of the month, I heard no man bragging about sexually assaulting women in any locker rooms (or anywhere else for that matter).
33. I will stop presenting the heteronormative mother-and-father paradigm as the default parental paradigm when speaking to my children and my students.
Done. Not as hard as I thought. I switched over to "parents" in January and haven't slipped yet.
34. I will not comment, positively or negatively, about physical appearance of any person save my wife and children, in 2017 in an effort to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
I had many negative thoughts about the physical appearance of Chris Christie in July (due to some questionable actions on his part) but refrained from making any of them.
I've also learned that at least seven other people have adopted this policy, which thrills me.
35. Surprise Elysha at least six times in 2016.
Two surprises so far in 2017. Flowers and a Cadbury Egg. I have two surprises in the works for her currently.
36. Replace the 12 ancient, energy-inefficient windows in our home with new windows that will keep the cold out and actually open in the warmer months.
We've hired someone to clear our windows, but this does not count.
37. Optimize our television for a streaming service.
We upgraded our cable television interface to a voice activated, much more intuitive system that may fit the requirements of a streaming service. This upgrade is tremendous. Credit Elysha for the upgrade as well as the reduction in our cable/Internet bill as well.
One of my anniversary presents is her promise to get the Apple TV working, which would complete this goal.
38. Set a new personal best in golf.
I shot a 48 for nine holes on Sunday, which is one stroke off my best round ever. Things are starting to come together with my new grip and swing. I also tied with my friend, Andrew, with the 48, which was both satisfying (he shot a 37 the previous week) and frustrating (so close to beating him).
39. Play poker at least six times in 2016.
No progress. This annoys me so much. I love to play poker. How have I failed to get a game going?
40. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 25 years.
Four days spent working as DJ's at weddings in total.
I invited him to attend a Moth StorySLAM with me tonight. He declined.
41. Post my progress in terms of these resolutions on this blog on the first day of every month.
Done!
July 31, 2017
There are six seasons. Not four.
Kurt Vonnegut proposed a restructuring of the seasons that I like a lot.
January and February: Winter
March and April: Unlocking
May and June: Spring
July and August: Summer
September and October: Fall
November and December: Locking
Vonnegut argued that March and April never really exemplify spring. It's still cold. The grass is brown. Trees aren't yet budding, and winter can still offer its last gasps of snow.
Similarly, November and December rarely feel like winter. November feels like the bastard stepchild of fall and winter, unsure about what it should be. And white Christmases are hardly certain.
Instead, November and December is a period of locking. The ground begins to freeze. Nature begins to slumber. Winter coats, hats, and mittens begin to find their way back into the world.
And March and April are unlocking. The ground begins to thaw. Kids track mud into the house. The first green shoots emerge from the ground. Golfers count the days before they can play again.
In Vonnegut's own words:
“One sort of optional thing you might do is to realize that there are six seasons instead of four. The poetry of four seasons is all wrong for this part of the planet, and this may explain why we are so depressed so much of the time. I mean, spring doesn’t feel like spring a lot of the time, and November is all wrong for autumn, and so on.
Here is the truth about the seasons: Spring is May and June. What could be springier than May and June? Summer is July and August. Really hot, right? Autumn is September and October. See the pumpkins? Smell those burning leaves? Next comes the season called Locking. November and December aren’t winter. They’re Locking. Next comes winter, January and February. Boy! Are they ever cold!
What comes next? Not spring. ‘Unlocking’ comes next. What else could cruel March and only slightly less cruel April be? March and April are not spring. They’re Unlocking.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
Of course, Vonnegut's proposal (and the demarcation of seasons in general) is irrelevant if you live in Southern California. Or Kenya. Or Boca Raton.
Poor souls.
But for those of us who experience the seasons in the way they are stereotypically presented, I like this a lot.
July 30, 2017
So many white people
They've done it again.
Here is a photo of the 2017 White House interns alongside Donald Trump. The fact that more than half of all millennials (age 18-34) are not white makes this photo particularly striking.
Given these demographics, Trump's team must've worked hard to ensure that there were be the requisite majority of white interns working for them, given that less than half of people of intern-age are white.
I say requisite number because this is nothing new. Here are photos of Mike Pence taking a selfie with the newest Republican members of Congress following the 2016 elections, and below that, a photo of the 2016 Congressional interns with Paul Ryan.
It's disgusting that the GOP makes no apparent effort to diversify their staff of interns, which is of course supremely possible given basic demographics.
They could also look across the aisle at the Democrats, who took this photo of their interns in 2016.
Sort of looks like America. Doesn't it?
July 29, 2017
Sleeping babies: Less shame. More sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) currently advises parents to sleep in the same room (but never in the same bed) as their babies for a year, ideally, but at least for the first six months.
In a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers led by Dr. Ian Paul, professor of pediatrics and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine found that at nine months, babies who had slept in their own rooms before they were four months old slept on average 40 minutes more than babies who were still sleeping in their parents’ room at nine months.
Babies who went to their own rooms after four months slept about 26 minutes more. The effects seemed to last, too. Even at 3 years old, the toddlers who slept with their parents for nearly a year were still sleeping less than those who had been moved to their own room earlier.
“This decision in the first year has potential longer term consequences,” says Paul.
I agree. The amount and quality of sleep that a child gets has been closely linked to overall physical and mental heath, attention span, the acquisition of language, learning potential, and much more. Sleep is critical to growth and brain development, and children who sleep more are far more successful in school and life.
40 minutes per night equates to more than four hours of additional sleep per week, and 26 minutes per night equates to more than three hours of sleep per week.
This adds up fast.
And this is coming from someone who doesn't sleep as much as most people, and never did. My mother once told me that there was never a night when she went to sleep when I was already asleep, and there was never a morning when she awoke when I wasn't already awake. She told me, "Except when you were an baby, I never saw you sleep as a child."
Still, I understand the importance of sleep.
My wife and I moved both of our children to their own rooms sometime between the 3-6 month mark. Until then, we had a self-rocking cradle in our bedroom where our children slept every night except for the one night we tried to put our infant daughter in our bed with a co-sleeping apparatus and quickly realized how foolish that decision was.
As important as I think this research is, I think an often unspoken truth is that many, many parents have their children in their own bedrooms, and quite often in their own beds, for years.
I've known many parents who have their children in bed with them every night well past toddlerhood. I've known parents (mostly fathers) who often find themselves sleeping in their children's beds at night as their sons and daughters take their places in their beds. I've known parents who put an additional bed in their bedroom throughout elementary school for their child. I've known many parents whose children have no real bedtime, fall asleep every night to the television, and rarely get the 10-14 hours of sleep that toddlers require.
I've had parents talk to me about this things privately, both as a friend and a teacher.
While these unorthodox sleeping arrangements are (at least according to the research) not good for kids, the real tragedy of the situation is the climate in which parents don't feel like they can speak about this issue openly. While parents have no problem speaking about many issues related to parenting, this one is often seen as taboo.
I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps it's embarrassing or shameful for the parents. Maybe they don't see any alternative to the sleeping arrangement as it currently exists in their home. Maybe they worry about being judged by friends and family. Quite often the problem originates with the parent's inability to say no to their child or their inability to allow their child to "cry it out" at night. This can result in feelings of guilt or inadequacy, which probably contributes to the silence.
But I suspect that if parents were better able to speak about their struggles to get their child into his or her own bed at night, solutions might be found. At the very least, parents (and children) wouldn't feel the burden of this secret.
These taboos help no one.
A similar problem exists around older children who still wet the bed. Every year we bring our fifth grade class to camp for four days and three night, and every year, I have at least a handful of parents bring this issue to me regarding their child. My first response is always:
"Please know that there are about half a dozen kids who I already know about in this class who also have this problem."
The relief that washes over some of these parents faces is visible. It's hard to think that only your child has this problem, even if the pediatrician says it's more common than anyone realizes. To discover it's true in real life makes it so much easier to talk about. Strip away the taboo, open up a line of communication, and oftentimes I can get the student to talk to me about the issue.
The important part:
There are ways to handle this problem discreetly so that no child misses the opportunity to attend camp for reasons he or she cannot control. After 20 years of taking kids to camp, I know all the tricks.
And I suspect that experienced parents know tricks for getting reticent kids into their own beds on time at night. I suspect that experienced parents have strategies for coping with the challenge of saying no to a child who wants to sleep with you. And I suspect that even if parents are unable to improve their less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements in the home, knowing that other parents deal with the same or similar issues might help parents at least feel a little less alone.
Any or all of this would be a good thing.
July 28, 2017
Republican Congressmen threaten female Senators with violence. This is not normal.
In the last three days, Republican men in the House have threatened their female Senate colleagues with shooting and beating.
ON MSNBC, Rep. Buddy Carter said on Lisa Murkowski: "Somebody needs to go over there to that Senate and snatch a knot in their ass."
Apparently, "snatch a knot in their ass" means to hit someone in punishment or retribution for a wrongdoing.
The day before, Rep. Blake Farenthold blamed “some female senators from the Northeast” for holding up the healthcare vote process and said that “if it was a guy from south Texas, I might ask him to step outside and settle this Aaron Burr-style.”
Farenthold is referring to the historic duel in which Vice President Burr mortally wounded Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in 1804.
This is a photo (no joke) of Blake Farenthold, by the way, taken in 2010. I thought it might give you a sense of the man.
Murkowski, who voted with Collins against starting the healthcare debate this week, was also specifically called out by President Trump on Twitter and told by a Cabinet official that she and Alaska "could suffer" for her choice.
I don't agree with them politically on many issues, but Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have consistently been the only two Republican Senators blocking repeal of healthcare from tens of millions of Americans. Other men and women have joined their fight then abandoned it given the day and time, but these two women have remained staunch and principled throughout this process.
History will recognize them as heroes who stood as against their party and in favor of the American people.
It's important to note that it's not normal for a member of Congress to even suggest in jest that a disagreement be settled with a duel.
It's not normal for a member of Congress to even suggest in jest that someone should be physically assaulted for voting their conscience.
This only happens when you elect a President who brags about sexual assault.
This only happens when you elect a President who suggests that it would be better if protesters were carried out on stretchers.
This only happens when you elect a President who tweets juvenile videos of himself tackling and beating a man with a CNN box superimposed over his head.
These sad, pathetic little men are responsible for their comments, of course, but they also feel emboldened enough to make comments like these because the President has so willingly condoned violence.
It's a terrible thing, and it should concern us all. We have already seen how Trump's violent and misogynistic rhetoric has filtered down to members of Congress.
Where else might men now feel emboldened enough to speak and even act like this?
Words matter. We need to remain vigilant. We need to rally around those who are intimidated or threatened by people in positions of power. We need to stand against rhetoric that condones, promotes, or exemplifies violence in any way.
July 27, 2017
I never saw The Ramones in concert. It kills me.
Last night my family attended an outdoor concert at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, CT. It's a summer tradition that we love. The band closed the show with The Ramones' Sedated.
I took the opportunity to grab Clara and teach her how to dance to punk music on the green grass under the dying light of the setting sun.
One of those moments I won't ever forget.
I don't have many regrets in life, and those that I do have were mostly out of my control.
I failed to achieve Eagle Scout because of a near-fatal car accident at the time of my Eagle project made it impossible for me to complete the project despite all other requirements being complete.I wasn't able to attend college immediately after high school, missing out on that quintessential college experience, because I was forced to move out after graduation and support myself.I didn't continue to ride horses despite riding at a very early age because my parent's divorce resulted in the removal of the horses from our home and left me growing up on a horse farm absent of horsesI wasn't able to pole vault during my senior year because of the aforementioned car accidentI don't know my father very well and have spent little time with him since childhood, mostly because he disappeared from my lifeThen there are a few regrets that are absolutely my fault.
Never seeing The Ramones in concert was one of them.
It's inexcusable. It was simply the result of the stupid assumptions that there would always be a next time. The band would tour again. I'd catch them next year.
Then the band broke up in 1996, and by 2004, three of the four members of the band were dead. The last, Tommy Ramone, died in 2014. I can't believe that those boys are all gone.
I will never see The Ramones in concert. It kills me.
As I held Clara's hands and jumped and smiled and laughed, I couldn't help but think, "What the hell was wrong with you? How did you never see these guys play? You're so stupid."
It's something I've said to myself many times.
When it comes to regret, The Ramones are my north star. They serve as my reminder of how fleeting opportunity can be. They are my admonition that I need to do things no matter how hard or inconvenient they may be before I can't do them anymore.
Last summer I came down with a bad case of pneumonia. I also had tickets to the Guns 'n Roses concert at Gillette Stadium. I went to the concert despite doctor's orders and the fact I couldn't walk 100 yards without running out of breath.
Even though I had seen Guns 'n Roses before, what if this was the last time they ever toured? What if this was my last chance to hear Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City performed by the actual band that made those songs iconic?
I didn't want to find myself dancing in the grass to Sweet Child 'O Mine in ten years, knowing that the band had broken up or died in a plane crash or gotten too old to play anymore, and I missed my chance to see them one more time.
I sat for the entire concert. I sang along quietly and clapped like I was at a golf tournament.
I'll never forget that night, either.
That's the goal, people. Pile up the moments that you will never forget, and before you know it, you'll have a lifetime of happiness and joy and hopefully very little regret.
July 26, 2017
Check your privilege at the door
Few things annoy me more than unacknowledged privilege. People who complain about social safety nets while enjoying ample safety nets of their own.
For many, the unacknowledged safety net is the presence of a prosperous family. A childhood filled with stability, opportunity, and advantage. Private schools. Outstanding medical care. Travel.
It's the knowledge that financial ruin will not result in homelessness or destitution. It's the gift of a college tuition or the downpayment on a first home. A sizable inheritance. A job with a parent's company when all else has failed.
This is an enormous safety net that exists only though birth. It is not earned and is often conveniently forgotten as the people who enjoy these safety nets complain about the taxes that fund the social safety net for those who didn't win the lottery at birth.
I recently listened to a man at a wedding who has lived with his mother for almost a decade complain about those who can't pick themselves up after financial disaster.
I listen to a former classmate who works for his family's business complain about Americans who who can't find a job or the taxes they pay to fund healthcare and Social Security.
I hear to people wonder why so many folks end up in dead end jobs while displaying a diploma in their office from a prestigious college paid for by their parents.
I hate this so much.
Trump, for example, loves to tout his business success. He portrays himself as a self made man. A guy who used hard work and intelligence to amass a fortune.
Yet when Trump was asked how his father helped him in business, he said, "My father gave me a very small loan in 1975, and I built it into a company that’s worth many, many billions of dollars.”
Trump's "very small loan (which he has lied about repeatedly) included:
$14 million dollars in initial loansA $1 million trust fundAnother $7.5 million in loans ten years laterAdditionally, as Trump’s casinos ran into trouble in the 1980's, Trump’s father purchased $3.5 million gaming chips, but did not use them, so the casino would have enough cash to make payments on its mortgage — a transaction which casino authorities later said was an illegal loan.
Trump also attended Wharton School of Business on his father's dime, and after graduating joined his father’s thriving real estate business and he relied on his father’s connections as he made his way in the real estate world.
This is not a self-made man. This is a man who enjoyed enormous financial privilege early in life but prefers to ignore that in favor of a personal narrative centered solely on hard work and clever business transactions.
Not only is Trump not a self-made man, but he failed to beat the market over the course of his business life.
He's less than average.
Before you start complaining about the social safety net, public schools, government supported healthcare, food stamps, and the like, be sure to take a long, hard look at your own life and what safety nets you have enjoyed and may still enjoy.
Winning the lottery at birth is a great thing, but not when your blessings prevent you from seeing and understanding the plight and needs of those less fortunate.
July 25, 2017
Trump stomped on tradition at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree.
Yesterday Donald Trump spoke at the Boy Scout's National Jamboree. This is a standing invitation to every United States President.
Seven of the last eleven Presidents have taken the Scouts up on their offer since the Jamboree began in 1937.
None of those seven Presidents ever took the opportunity to turn a day of celebration into a political rally, but that did not stop Trump from doing so. Over the course of his speech, Trump:
Bragged about his Electoral victoryComplained about loyalty in his administrationBragged about his "Michigan strategy" during the election Attacked the "fake media" and "fake news"Disparaged President ObamaDisparaged Hillary ClintonThreatened local politicians about the upcoming healthcare voteI was a Boy Scout for all of my childhood, and in many ways, it might have been the best thing to happen to me as a kid.
As an adult, I have served as an assistant Scoutmaster and am a member of Camp Yawgoog's alumni association. It's an imperfect organization, to be sure, and there are many things about the organization that I don't like, but it's also an organization that I love and hope my son will love someday, too.
What Donald Trump did yesterday disgusts me. Not only did he trample on decades of tradition, but he did so for no conceivable reason.
Why turn a speech to thousands of boys into a political rally?
The Boy Scouts are explicitly apolitical. They do not endorse political candidates. Scouts are not permitted to wear uniforms at political events. Scouts are specifically taught to never make their service about politics.
Trump did this for the reason he does so many things: In service of himself. He had an opportunity to address thousands of boys, and instead of inspiring them, he talked about himself. He bragged about himself.
I'm disgusted on a daily basis by the actions and words of this man, but this one hit home for me especially hard. Every year boys gather to celebrate this organization that they love, and Trump treated it as if they were gathering for him. He turned a Boy Scout Jamboree into a self-flagellating rally of for his own ego.
I am not going to be surprised by anything he says or does ever again. Nor should I.
Shortly after his election, he stunned CIA employees by delivering a similar speech before the agency’s Memorial Wall. On Saturday, he stunned a crowd of uniformed personnel at the commissioning of the USS Gerald R. Ford by urging them to lobby Congress in support of his agenda.
The man is self serving in every possible way.
The Boy Scouts are in a difficult position now. While I'm sure the organization would like to denounce at least some of the things that Trump said, they are strictly apolitical and will likely remain silent rather than breaking with this long-standing tradition. Instead, they will have to depend on the hundreds of thousands of Scouts and Scoutmasters around the country who are expressing their disgust today to speak on their behalf.
For the record, Trump was never a Boy Scout. The only dealings he ever had with the organization before yesterday was in a 1989 when Donald, Jr. joined.
The membership was $7 in those days, and Trump didn't pay out of pocket. He took the money from charity.
Even back in 1989, Trump was failing to uphold any of the ideals of Scouting.
